Election Day is months away, but Portland Mayor Charlie Hales doesn't want to be caught napping.

Hales quietly assembled an internal advisory committee in recent weeks to explore how Portland can prepare for what the first term mayor sees as a likely scenario: Oregonians legalizing the sale and possession of recreational marijuana.

The state could begin issuing licenses to retailers in 2016, according to the proposed ballot measure pushed by the group New Approach Oregon, but Hales isn't waiting for voters to have their say before examining Portland's options.

"We want to look at how other city and states are dealing with the side effects, if I can use a bad pun," Hales said in an interview with The Oregonian Editorial Board this month.

The mayor's marijuana committee includes five members from the Police Bureau, transportation staffers, revenue officials, permitting experts, representatives from the Office of Neighborhood Involvement and employees of Hales' office. The group of roughly 20 city employees meets twice a month for an hour and a half and is on its fourth meeting, according to Hales' spokesman Dana Haynes.

Hales said the committee is analyzing the extent of Portland's authority in shaping how and where marijuana stores operate.

Hales said of the city's relationship with state liquor regulators who will control the distribution of legal weed: "Are we the kid in the backseat with the plastic steering wheel, or do we have some ability to steer the outcomes of where outlets are, and how they relate to the neighborhood?"

Portland doesn't have to search far for practical examples.

Hales drove across the Columbia River last week to meet with Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, in part, to talk about that city's recreational marijuana rollout. To Hales' surprise, he learned that Vancouver's experience is largely one of a collective community yawn.

A scarce supply of marijuana proved to be the biggest issue facing Vancouver in the first two weeks of legal pot sales. Leavitt said he's heard of "no law enforcement issues" and no reports or complaints from nearby businesses.

Leavitt said the city needed to address some minor permitting regulations and tighten city code to ensure Vancouver wouldn't be home to strip malls of marijuana retailers. But many of the regulations, such as mandatory distances from schools, were already codified in the state marijuana law's language.

Leavitt said Hales asked in their meeting about Vancouver's expected annual revenue from the newly imposed marijuana taxes. Leavitt said he expects roughly $180,000 in annual revenue from the six licensed outlets. "It's not a big financial windfall for the city," he added.

Haynes, the Portland mayor's spokesman, said the advisory committee's last scheduled meeting is September 15. The group will likely return to City Council with recommendations on potential added regulations this fall, Haynes said in an email.